Aspiring spy boss Tulsi Gabbard defended most of her controversial foreign policy takes during a lively Senate hearing Thursday, including her meeting with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and her prior doubts about the legitimacy of US intelligence on his use of chemical weapons against his own people.

From a Democrat to a supporter of President Trump’s foreign policy, Tulsi Gabbard has made a significant political transformation over the past few years. Some Senators have begun to wonder what this shift means for her capability to serve as the head of U.

President Donald Trump’s new administration is looking ahead to key Senate hearings this week for three of his most controversial nominees.

Gabbard was questioned by Republicans and Democrats alike on her views of Snowden and whether she believes he was a traitor. She declined to say she believed he was a traitor, repeating that she felt he had broken the law and reiterating a point that she has made in the past, that he exposed practices that have resulted in the reform of 702.

Curt Mills Gabbard, who has a reputation as an outsider, looked like a seasoned political professional from the very start. Her opening line was a home run: She said she was motivated to be director of national intelligence because of the intelligence failures that led to the war in Iraq.

Most Democrats and even some Republicans seemed uneasy with Tulsi Gabbard and her answers to their questions during her confirmation hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Tulsi Gabbard is expected to face questions on her 2017 visit to Syria at her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence Thursday.

With Democrats opposed and some Republican votes wavering, the committee could employ unusual maneuvers to advance Trump’s controversial pick for director of national intelligence.

"This issue requires additional negotiations," TASS news agency cited Bogdanov as telling journalists. Bogdanov is heading Russia's delegation to Damascus for the first time since Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled.

Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) acknowledged Gabbard’s “unconventional views,” but characterized her as free thinker who can push back on the type of mainstream foreign policy thinking that has dragged the country into disastrous wars abroad.

US Senators from both sides of the aisle given pause about the nominee for the Director of National Intelligence, due to her friendliness with dictators and leniency for intel whistleblower Snowden.